Turn of Events
by SnowboardGeek
Summary: In this universe, Daniel Jackson is Danielle Jackson (Kind of odd, I know). This takes the place of Meridian in my universe. Danielle is taken as a host. Is she a Goa'uld, or an ally? Also, the base is taken over by an alien race. Will the team be able to overcome their problems and perform their usual miracles? Please review! This is my first fanfiction.
1. Unwilling Host

Sam had been in Goa'uld complexes more times than she could count. Yet, she was still confused about the layout. I mean, come on! All the corridors look the same! And so, without meaning it, being pursued by Jaffa, they ended up in a small throne room, probably for a minor Goa'uld, which, of course, they didn't know was present. The Jaffa seemed to have forgotten also, because they began firing without thought for their 'god'.

"Sir! We're at a dead end! The Jaffa have the entrance covered. The only way out is to shoot our way out!" I dove behind the golden pillars that lined the wall, narrowly avoiding a staff blast.

"Worst day EVER!" The colonel broke cover from his own pillar to fire on the Jaffa.

"Maybe if-" I was drowned out by the distorted cry of a dying Goa'uld. We all whipped around and were met with the sight of the female Goa'uld falling, having been hit with an errant staff blast. Danielle, who was nearest, started to crawl forward toward her.

"Cover me!"

Teal'c, the colonel, and I turned and fired on the Jaffa all at once, forcing them to retreat to the cover of the hallway. With the colonel and Teal'c covering the entrance, I turned to watch Dani reach a hand out to check the host's pulse. As she pressed two fingers gently on her neck, the host's eyes snapped open and stared in shock at Danielle.

"Please," She croaked weakly, her voice missing the telltale vibration of a Goa'uld, "take-" Her words were choked off when her mouth opened wide and, after a short moment of silence, my memory kicked in, but too late.

"NO!" I lunged forward, ignoring the battle raging behind me. I felt something suddenly ram into my arm and I was shoved into the wall, fire raging on my arm. I managed to prop myself up, and was just in time to watch the Goa'uld fling itself out of it's previous host's mouth, and force it's way into Dani's, who's mouth happened to be open, as she was calling my name. She stumbled back, her mouth opening and closing helplessly, until her jaw snapped shut. Her eyes flared golden.

"DANIELLE! No, no! Dani please!" I vaguely heard the colonel shout and saw out of the corner of my eye as he scrambled over, Teal'c rapidly firing off shots behind me. The colonel did a quick scan, and, as Danielle did not seem outwardly injured, came straight to me.

"Carter! Hey, you alright? Carter!"

I blinked, coming out of my shock enough to spot my zat. I plunged my arm down, crying out as the fire reignited in my arm. My fingers closed around the zat, and my finger found the hidden button. The zat activated with a familiar metallic noise and I sent a blue net of electricity flying Danielle, or the Goa'uld's, way. Colonel O'Neill, unaware of Dani's current state, yelled an explicative as the Goa'uld crumpled to the ground.

"Shit, Carter! What was that for?"

"She…" My voice came out hoarse and quiet. I cleared my throat roughly, "She, she's a Goa'uld. Dani's a Goa'uld, sir." The air temperature seemed to drop ten degrees with my statement. Still, we were in battle mode, and we couldn't stop now. The colonel an I retook our places, and Colonel O'Neill yelled over to Teal'c.

"T, Dani's been taken by a snake. Grab her, and let's get the hell out of dodge!"

Teal'c, although he seemed a little shocked, nodded his compliance and quickly made his way to Dani as the colonel and I laid down cover fire. Colonel O'Neill signaled to move forward, and I stealthily slipped out of my cover and slid along the wall, pressing myself against the wall right next to the door. I gave him a nod and raised my gun. He supplied a burst from his P90, and I stuck the muzzle of my gun out the door, firing off a long string of bullets. As a staff blast flung right by me, I jerked back from the opening of the door, and saw the colonel had come up to the other side of the door, and was proceeding to fire at the Jaffa that I couldn't see from my current vantage point. As the wining of zats and staff blasts ceased, Colonel O'Neill stopped firing. For a moment, we all enjoyed the blessed sound of silence. But, we couldn't stop for long. With Teal'c carrying the unconscious Dani, we made our way quickly, and silently through the seemingly endless complex, until we happened across the rings. The guard Jaffa were easy to eliminate, only requiring two shots from my zat. As the colonel and Teal'c crowded inside the rings, I pressed the correct sequence of buttons and dove into the rings just as they whooshed upward, capturing the four of us and depositing us in a temple on the surface.

"Sir, the gate is about 5 minutes away from here." I quickly reloaded my weapon, and we headed out at a sprint, hearing the familiar sound of rings activating behind us. I risked a glance behind us, and saw that there was a sizable armada of Jaffa sprinting after us, steadily firing their weapons at us. I brought my gun up and fired at them, quickly having to stop and face forward to avoid tripping. The colonel and I traded off, each of us firing for a brief time, and then letting the other shoot. I glanced over at Teal'c and Dani- or the Goa'uld- and saw that she was stirring. I quickly ripped into my pack and brought out a shot of sedative. Pushing myself to catch up to Teal'c, I pulled up next to him and held out the sedative.

"Teal'c!" He grabbed the sedative and pushed it into Dani's arm, forcing her to again fall into unconsciousness. I lost my balance just after handing him the sedative and I tumbled forward, hitting the ground on my bad arm. I cried out, cradling my arm, and the colonel hauled me up. We raced for the DHD, and I dialed home faster than I ever thought I could. With the colonel firing on the approaching mob of Jaffa, I punched in the iris code into the GDO, signaling that we were under fire.

"GO!" The colonel screamed over at me. I sprinted into the event horizon, barreling out on the other side and tumbling ungracefully down the ramp. I was helped up by Janet and watched as Teal'c ran out of the stargate with Danielle in his arms. After about 2 seconds, the colonel was flung out of the gate, yelling at the gate technicians to close the iris. The trinium barrier grated shut, and multiple thuds were heard following the action. I turned my attention the Janet, who was trying to get me on a gurney.

"Janet." My voice barely came out, so I tried again, "Janet!"

"Sam?" she glanced at me in concern, "What is it?"

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat, "Um, Dani… Danielle's been taken by a Goa'uld. I zatted her, then gave her a 150 milligram sedative."

"What?" Janet froze for a moment, and so did everyone else who heard. But only for a second. Quickly, Janet went into full Dr. Fraiser mode, yelling orders and having them strap Danielle onto a gurney. They quickly carted her out of the gate room, followed by Teal'c, the colonel, and I. The trip down to the infirmary was almost silent, everybody pondering what to do, when to do it, and how to process it. Janet was probably thinking back to Kawalsky, and hoping to contact the Tok'ra. Teal'c was probably wishing he could rip the Goa'uld of of Dani himself, and then rip i into tiny pieces. The colonel was probably thinking along the same lines as Teal'c, but also worrying about Dani's safety. As for me, I was shocked. I always thought of my team, my family, as untouchable. The Goa'uld couldn't catch us, and they couldn't hurt us (much). But, now Dani was taken. Dr. Danielle Jackson, my closest friend in the entire universe, was destroyed by a slimy, good for nothing, egotistical, narcissistic, back-stabbing snake. There was still hope, but, even if they could get to the Tok'ra, what about the IOA, NID, and the trust. The IOA would want to interrogate the Goa'uld to get information. The NID would torture her and try to experiment on her, and the trust would torture her to get information. I knew that it was the snake that would go through this, but Danielle would to. As the host, she experienced all the pain of the symbiote (parasite was a more appropriate description), and would suffer greatly with any of these options. No, I would not let Dani be taken by any of those cold-hearted bastards. She was, no, is, my best friend, and I would protect her with my life. And I have a feeling that Teal'c and the colonel would too. They wouldn't get anywhere near her, I was sure of it.

"Major Carter? Follow me, please." I was jerked out of my reverie, and nodded my compliance, silently following the nurse. As I sat down on an empty bed and the nurse started to clean up my arm, I cleared my throat.

"Um, nurse? What is going to happen to Dani?" No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep that waver out of my voice.

She smiled reassuringly and gently began to bandage my arm, "Well, she will have her blood taken and an MRI done. Dr. Fraiser will check for injuries, and then they will, with her still restrained, take her down to the cells. She will be locked securely in, and will have guards stationed outside. The new cells have a plastic front so the Goa'uld cannot switch hosts, and speakers so the person inside and the visitor can speak safely. She won't be harmed throughout any of this."

I sighed, my mind supplying the words, _Depends on your definition of harmed_, but I just thanked her as she slid my arm into the standard blue sling, and waited for my full post mission exam. After a few minutes, one colonel plopped himself down on the bed next to mine. I looked around, instinctively searching for my other teammates. My head berated me quietly for scanning the area for Dani, but that didn't explain the absence of Teal'c.

"Sir, where's Teal'c?" I saw him startle slightly, a barely noticeable twitch, but almost 5 years of being on the same team had allowed me to see it for what it was.

"Oh, T? He's being allowed to stay with Dani-" His fists tightened on the bed sheet, "the Goa'uld for security."

I flinched and ducked my head, sucking in a shaky breath, feeling tears began to threaten. Oh, Dani… I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I glanced up to see the colonel sitting beside me now, his hand resting on my good shoulder. It was probably quite inappropriate work behavior, but my best friend and the person he loved was just taken by a Goa'uld. We both needed a little comfort. We sat like that for a while, not talking, just sitting in quiet companionship. The gossips were probably buzzing (we were quite a closely knit team, after all, and people wondered), but we didn't care. It was just two people, who were like family, giving comfort to each other. A sudden burst of movement by the door caught my attention, and I glanced up, breaking the spell. The colonel followed suit, and we both stood up. His hand momentarily tightened on my shoulder, and he let go, taking a few steps forward to better analyze the situation. A still unconscious Dani was being wheeled out of the infirmary, soon to be placed into one of the newly modified holding cells. I saw his shoulders rise as he took in a sharp breath, and he turned away from the scene, missing the regal nod that Teal'c sent our way. It was my turn to comfort, and I put a hand gently on his arm.

"Sir, we have to get checked out by Janet, then we're off to the debriefing."

He nodded and I removed my hand. We made our way over to where Janet was waiting, and I sighed. What a day.


	2. Revelations

Ouch. Damn, that hurts. I sat up and found myself on a small bed. I seemed to be in a cell. A had just started to analyze my situation, when I found myself frozen. Except, I was moving. Without trying to move. I tried to stop, but I couldn't. I stood up, or something made me stand up.

_**Hello, Danielle. **_

Suddenly, my memories came flooding back to me. The complex. The Jaffa. The Goa'uld. I began to panic. It all made sense. I couldn't move because I was a host. Oh, God. I was a host. No, no, no! As I broke down, the tiny voice of Jack in my mind decided to speak up, telling me to asses the situation, don't panic. Keep a cool head. Okay. Why was I in prison?

**_Your people have taken us._**

Relief flooded through me. Oh, thank god. I would be fine. This Goa'uld would be removed, and I would have my life back.

_**I am not Goa'uld. I am Tok'ra. My name is Nathifa.**_

_What? Of course you're Goa'uld. You took me without permission, and I saw your throne room._

_**I was undercover. Contact the Tok'ra and they will prove it. I will even give you control, if you like.**_

_Yes, I would like!_

She bowed her head, and suddenly, I could move again. It was the strangest feeling, getting one's body back. A tingling spread across me, and then I was in control. I could talk, move, or do anything else. I realized, suddenly, that I believed Nathifa. A Goa'uld would be bragging and never let me have control. She was, no doubt about it, Tok'ra.

"Thank you."

_**A minor lesson in context. When talking to me, think your response, do not say it out loud. It will seem odd at first, but it will soon become second nature. **_

_Hold on, there. Second nature? The Tok'ra will remove you and put you in another host as soon as we contact them!_

_**I am afraid there is a bit of a problem regarding that. You see, I jumped to you in desperation. I have vital information about the movements of Apophis and his fleet that I must get to the Tok'ra high council immediately. In my rush, the implantation was not completed properly, and, even though we may seem normal, I bonded incorrectly to you. If I am removed, it will kill us both.**_

_You can't be serious._

_**You must learn to live with me as your symbiote. You should be able to continue at the SGC, if you would prefer. It is I who came into you without permission. You should be allowed to stay with the job and people you love.**_

_Thank you. But, they think I'm Goa'uld! I have to talk to Sam. She has Jolinar's memories._

_**Jolinar knew me. We completed a mission together.**_

_Great! With Sam's word, we can be let out of here._

I knocked on the cell door, "Lt. Camber?"

He turned and looked at me, his face blank, "Yes?"

"Could you get Sam, err, Major Carter for me?" I turned hopeful eyes on him.

"She's in a briefing at the moment, but I will have her come down as soon as possible." His expression remained unmoving.

I sighed, "Thanks, lieutenant."

I sat down on the uncomfortable bed. _Now we wait._

_—_

And I thought the briefing after the nude planet was bad. This had officially taken first place as the briefing from hell. The colonel explained everything, and, despite my efforts, I began to fall into my dark thoughts. Dani was gone. Taken from us. The Tok'ra had been contacted, but they had not yet responded. This was awful. What if the Goa'uld couldn't be removed? What if- No. I would not go there. I shook myself out of my thoughts, and tuned into the briefing.

"…and, then we were chased from the rings to the stargate, where we dialed out, sent our iris code, and came home. You know the rest, sir."

"Alright, so-" The general stopped as Janet knocked at the doorframe and took a seat at the briefing table.

"Sir, it's been confirmed. Danielle is host to a Goa'uld. She had naquada in her blood, and the MRI came back positive." She pulled out the scan, "But there is one small thing. I compared this to other scans of Goa'uld's we have taken, and this one is a little different. You see this section?" She pointed to a small section near the end of the Goa'uld, "This is embedded further into the brain stem than usual. I almost missed it, but it's definitely not normal, in comparison to a few scans I managed to harass, I mean, convince a few of the Tok'ra into taking. Now, I looked at Sam's, and the scan of Jolinar has the same abnormality. I am not sure what it means, but, when the Tok'ra get here, we can ask them."

The general nodded after absorbing this information, "Very well, Dr. Fraiser. Keep me informed of any developments. Dismissed." He stood up and swiftly walked into his office.

The colonel and I exited the briefing room, receiving many sympathetic looks from passerby's. The colonel looked like he wanted to strangle them. To be honest, I felt the same way. But, seeing as assaulting fellow officers is frowned upon, we couldn't do that. For probably the first time, I wished we were on Chulak, where strangling is not only allowed, it's encouraged. Speaking of Chulak…

"Sir, should we go find Teal'c? He was probably not needed to guard Dani anymore."

Colonel O'Neill glanced around, scanning the area for the elusive Jaffa. Seeing only people he wanted to strangle, he turned back to me, "Sure, why not? Think he's in the commissary, or kelnoreming?"

"Um… let's check the commissary, sir."

"Okay, but-" He stopped and turned a little, blinking at an airman standing next to us, "Yes?" He dragged the word out, his sarcasm leaking through.

"Um, sorry for the interruption, sir, but Dr. J-" He stumbled to a stop, looking a little awkward, "...the goa'uld is asking for you, Major Carter."

I was a little startled, but I nodded, "Did she mention why?"

"No ma'am. She only asked for me to get you as soon as possible."

"Alright." I turned to Colonel O'Neill, "Sir, I'll meet up with you and Teal'c after I talk with… her."

"See you later, Carter." He shot me a small smile and walked toward the commissary, leaving me to go to talk to Dani. To be perfectly honest, I was a little worried. This would be my first confrontation with Danielle since she was taken. What if she went and spouted the usual Goa'uld party line? What if her voice was distorted, and this time, it wasn't for a training scenario? What would I do? Maybe I would respond as I would to a normal Goa'uld. Or maybe I would freeze up. This was my best friend, after all. My worst enemy, in my best friend's body. It was the ultimate nightmare. I took a deep, calming breath, but it didn't help at all. The colonel was right, when we were all back in the complex. This was the worst day ever.


	3. Arrival

One of the guards at the door to the holding cells nodded to me and slid his key card through the slot. The light beside it switched to bright green, and the door clicked open. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, my breath catching as I saw Dani sitting on the prison bed in her black t-shirt and BDU pants. It seemed so normal, but I knew that everything was most definitely not normal.

"Sam! Thank god. You have to listen to me, I'm NOT a Goa'uld. Nathifa is Tok'ra. She said Jolinar knew her. Please Sam, you have to believe me. Please." Her voice was pleading, and it ripped at my heartstrings.

I closed my eyes and forced myself to think of Jolinar. The memories came barging in. Netu. Martouf. Lantesh. Love. Pain. Sadness. Hurt. Forcing past the painful memories, I started to see faces. Medara. Zenita. Darand. Talinth. The names of the Tok'ra rushed into my head, each piece clicking into place, until I found it. A blonde haired woman with brown eyes stood next to me as we fired on the enemy, attempting to escape. Nathifa. Dani was actually speaking to me. It wasn't a Goa'uld trick! Danielle was safe. My eyes snapped open and I grinned as relief flooded through me. Dani, picking up on my mood, grinned back, her eyes sparkling. My hand inched forward, itching to release her, but I knew I had to clear it first. The guards had been informed of Danielle's… condition, and they would shoot on site. Shoot first, ask questions later. Give the Goa'uld a taste of their own medicine. Still, that worked against Dani. I smiled again.

"Hold on a sec, Dani."

She nodded, immediately understanding. Gratitude rushed through me for having such a great team as knocked on the main door. The guard instantly unlocked the door, "Is there a problem, ma'am?"

I nodded, "Yes, actually. Could you get Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond for me. Also, if Teal'c can come, that would be great too."

"Right away, Major." He turned away to radio another SF.

"Thanks, Sergent." I backed up a step and carefully shut the door, turning back to Dani, "So, after they get here and release you, and the Tok'ra get here, they can remove Nathifa and everything will go back to normal." I wasn't sure who I was trying to comfort, her or me.

She shifted, looking uncomfortable, "Um, slight problem there, Sam…"

I stiffened at her defeated tone, "Dani…" I swallowed hard, "What do you mean?"

"Um, because of Nathifa's rush, the implantation went wrong. Everything is normal, except that if she is removed, we will both be killed."

My blood ran cold. Would Dani leave SG-1? Was this the end of out closely-knit team?

Sensing my distress, Dani quickly backtracked, "No, no. It's not like that. I will stay on SG-1, Nathifa said that it would be okay."

I released a breath as I took a moment to process that new information. Okay. This would not turn out bad. We would be fine. SG-1 would be fine. Getting my senses back, I knocked on the door once again. It swung open to reveal the guard.

"Sergeant, could you also call for Dr. Fraiser?"

He nodded concisely and turned away to use his radio.

"Thanks, again." I stepped inside and shut the door, looking over at Dani, who had her head tilted to the side in a silent question.

"Ah. Well, Janet found something strange in your MRI. Part of the symbiote is imbedded further into your brain stem than usual. It popped up on mine to, when I had Jolinar inside me. From what you said, I think that if the implantation process is rushed or done improperly, the symbiote is connected to the brain stem and cannot be removed without killing both the host and symbiote. With me, Jolinar was not removed, she died. Janet might be able to confirm my theory."

"She can."

I whipped around to find Janet standing there along with Colonel O'Neill, General Hammond, and Teal'c.

"Carter! What was so urgent as to pull me away from my apple pie?"

"Well, sir, I know that this may not contend with apple pie…" Sarcasm dripped from her words, "But Dani is Tok'ra, not Goa'uld. Jolinar's memories confirm it."

Everyone froze, and then slowly turned to look at Dani, who waved weakly, smiling a small smile, "Hi."

General Hammond cleared his throat, "Well, then. We'd better let you out, Dr. Jackson."

Dani smiled as he tapped on the window, taking the guard's key card and unlocking the cell, "Thank you, sir. Have we gotten in contact with the Tok'ra yet?"

"Kind of. Those snaky bast-"

Janet cleared her throat loudly, "Sir!"

Colonel O'Neill stuck his tongue out at her.

The general sighed, "We have made contact, but they are quite busy at the moment."

Dani looked alarmed, "Sir, we have to get them. Nathifa has some important information, and she has to let them know she's not dead!"

"Whoa! Slow down there Dani. Important information? And who the hell is Nathifa?"

"Nathifa is my symbiote." Dani tapped her head.

"Oh, yes. Your snake." He spat the last word out, glaring at her.

"Jack…" Her tone was warning, the tone that many-an-airman had come to fear.

"What?! That snake has ruined your life!"

"No, she hasn't! I can still stay on SG-1!"

"So?"

"So what? SG-1 will stay together. That's all that matters. To me anyways. And, in case you haven't noticed, I have no need for glasses or contacts anymore, something you've been bugging me about for ages! I can also hear further, run faster, jump higher, have better stamina, fight a LOT better, and I can probably shoot better. I don't know what the problem is, Jack!"

They were nose to nose, glaring menacingly at each other. The rest of us stared on, shifting awkwardly.

He broke the staring contest, "Nothing. Forget about it."

"I don't think so."

"Dani…"

"Jack!"

Realizing this could go on forever (or until one of them snapped and punched the other), the general stepped in, "Colonel O'Neill! Dr. Jackson! Perhaps this can wait for another time. What was the important information, Dr. Jackson?"

Dani shot one last murderous glare at Colonel O'Neill, and turned to the general, "Let me have Nathifa tell you herself." She glared at the colonel, "If everyone's just _peachy_ with that."

He glowered at her, but didn't say anything. Dani bowed her head, and, a moment later, looked up.

**"While undercover in the service of Baal as a minor Goa'uld, I managed to acquire some important information about his fleet's movements and attack plans. This could aid many of our operatives in thwarting Baal's plans. It may also help up destroy him. With him rising to power so quickly, this information cannot have come soon enough."**

"I understand your predicament perfectly Nathifa. We will contact the Tok'ra immediately with your information and have them send a representative."

**"Thank you, general. We appreciate this."**

"No trouble at all. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a few calls to make."

Colonel O'Neill piped up, addressing Nathifa, "So, you think you could put Dani back on the line?"

She gave him an unreadable look, **"Of course. I must ask one thing, though."**

"Ya?"

**"I am unfamiliar with Earth metaphors, and I am relatively sure this is in another language. What does it mean, when you call someone perhot' podzalupnaya? ****Danielle will not tell me."**

The colonel's eyes narrowed, "You know what? Forget it. I have paperwork to do that would be much more enjoyable than this." He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Janet leaned over to me and whispered, "Um… do you know what she said?"

I dropped my hand from where it was covering my mouth, and whispered back to her, "It's Russian. She called him ass dandruff."

Janet stifled a laugh, and began to cough uncontrollably. She waved goodbye, still choking, and exited quickly, probably to get some water.

Nathifa, not hearing, or ignoring, all of this, lowered her head, closing her eyes for a brief moment. When she brought her head back up again, Danielle was in control. Wanting to distract her from Colonel O'Neill, and knowing that she probably hadn't eaten in a while, I offered up a suggestion.

"Dani, let's get something to eat. When the Tok'ra are contacted, we can go meet them, but we should take a break for now."

She tilted her head to the side, thinking, "Alright. Why not? And, by the way, when did SG-7 get back?"

I paused, momentarily stunned by the random question, "Um… about an hour ago. Why?"

"Were they under fire by Kali's Jaffa?"

"Yes, I think so." I shot her a questioning look.

"And that means I win the bet. Ferreti's money is mine!"

I grinned. It was so great to have Dani back, "We can probably track him down, and he's most likely in the commissary anyways. It's about 1300."

Dani grinned back at me, "Great! Let's get going." She went over to the door and knocked on it. General Hammond must have had some announcement of some kind, because Dani was not shot, nor did they look surprised to see her. She gave them a small smile, which they shyly returned, and we made our way over to the elevator. As the doors opened we stepped inside and the trip took less than 3 seconds. Exiting the elevator, we walked toward the commissary doors.

"So, what's on the menu today?" Dani looked over with a questioning look.

"Ah. It's meatloaf monday." I smiled at her scrunched up face.

"Eww. Although, I have to admit, it grows on you."

I nodded my consent as we pushed open the double doors and stepped inside. making a beeline for the desserts.

"Hey, Ferreti!" Dani had apparently spotted him and she went over to a table that sat him and his team.

"Oh, hey Dani! It is Dani, right?" He set down his meatloaf.

She nodded, "Uh, ya. Or else there would be the creepy voice thing."

"Oh, ya. So, what's up?"

She grinned, "Oh, I just came to claim my money."

He frowned and dug around in his pocket, pulling out a fifty and a twenty, "Damn, I was hoping you'd forget. Here, 70 bucks. Oh, and where's Jack?"

"I'm not sure."

Lisa, SG-14's archaeologist, spoke up at Dani's short, clipped tone, looking concerned, "Everything alright?"

"Ya, he's probably just in the infirmary, getting the stick up his ass removed. Excuse me." She turned and walked away, and I could have sworn I saw money change hands at the table. I was about to point it out, when the wail of the klaxons interrupted me.

"Unscheduled off world activation!"

Dani and I looked at each other.

"Any teams off world?"

"Nope. SG-6 just came back."

Simultaneously, we ran for the door, slipping into the elevator right before it shut. Luckily, the people already in the elevator were also headed to 28, so there were no stops along the way. As it dinged to signal the correct floor, we rushed out and into the gate room in time to see the blast doors opening and spotted a group of about three Tok'ra, including my father and Freya/Anise standing at the bottom of the ramp. Taking a calming breath at the sight of Anise, we walked over to stand next to General Hammond.

"Welcome to Earth. We haven't heard from you in a while, Jacob, Anise."

Dad smiled, "Thanks, great to be here. And where-" He glanced around, and spotted me standing there with Dani, "Sammy!"

"Dad!" I walked closer to give hims quick hug, "You should come visit more often. You missed the Lord of the Rings marathon incident about a week ago."

His eyebrows rose, "Excuse me?"

I smiled, my eyes sparkling, "It was frightening to see SG-25 acting like Gollum. Anyways, that's beside the point."

Anise stepped forward, "Yes, it is. We would like to be immediately taken to Nathifa. You said that she was here."

Dani stepped closer and gave my dad a quick side hug, "I'm here."

"No, I said Na-" Anise cut off mid sentence as my dad jumped back suddenly from Danielle.

He stared at her, "Danielle…"

"Honey, I'm home." She quirked her mouth to the side and gave a small wave, "Want to clear this up in the briefing room?"

Still looking a little weary, he nodded and followed us as we moved out of the gate room along with Anise and the other Tok'ra, who had so far stayed to the shadows. It was making me curious. He hadn't let us see his face yet, which was quite strange. The Tok'ra were usually very open. Well, the Tok'ra could be quite strange. Still, I couldn't keep my mind off the puzzle, even as we dove into the briefing. I glanced around the table we had seated ourselves at. He wasn't there! I gave the room another sweep, but quickly glanced down as Anise gave me a strange look. Huh. Even stranger… Well, I'm always up for a good puzzle.

NOTE:

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I know there was some confusion on when this story takes place, and I'm sorry about that. This story takes place in season 5, in place of Meridian. Danielle is married to Atim in this universe (Sha're was not taken, Atim was), and Shifu was not born. So, the team did not go to Kheb, and Danielle could not ascend. I couldn't let her die! So, I inserted Nathifa into the story line. Also, Anubis has not been met (that's in the episode after Meridian). Hope this clears things up!


	4. Jumbled Thoughts

As we escaped the briefing, I took a shuttering breath. The Tok'ra were here. And I was one of them. Oh, God. I closed my eyes and exhaled, decreasing my rising heart rate. Speaking of rising heart rates… My thoughts wandered to Eytan. Nathifa and her previous host had obviously had something with Eytan and Tarik. Maybe it was just a friendship, but they had obviously felt something more. Great, and now I do too. I sighed, and shot a quick look at Jack. Despite my best efforts, anger bubbled through me, chasing away thoughts of Eytan. What was Jack's problem? I was having a difficult time adjusting to this, and he should know that! Sam noticed, Teal'c is supporting me, but he just goes off and is acting like an asshole. Why on earth would he do that? I murmured some not-so-complementary things about Jack under my breath, and Sam started, looking over at me with wide eyes. Oops. Forgot that she has hawk hearing. Well, I'm guessing that everyone heard me (I mean, I have a Jaffa, a former black ops guy, and a well trained air force major on my team), but they weren't letting on. I sighed, sending a glare toward Jack, which he returned. Ugh, why was he in such a foul mood? I'm Tok'ra, not Goa'uld. Tok'ra… No. Don't think about it. I shuddered. But, why was he not helping me through this like a good team leader? That bastard was making it harder for me. Why would he do such a thing?

_**I believe that I know why.**_

"What?" The group stopped in the hallway outside the briefing room, and my three team members shot me strange looks.

"Crap. Uh, never mind." I tried to look nonchalant.

They nodded, looking suspicious, but turned away. I sighed in relief.

_Okay… so why is he acting like a colossal ass?_

_**Well, according to your memories, he's not a big fan of the Tok'ra, correct?**_

_Yes…_

_**Maybe is's upsetting for him to see you, a valued team member and friend, hosting a Tok'ra, who he obviously does not like.**_

_And that gives him permission to just treat me like week old garbage?_

_**No, of course not, I was just giving an answer to your question.**_

_Alright. Thanks._

_**No problem at all.**_

Sam and I split off from the guys and headed toward my office for a quick break before we discussed my… interesting… situation with the Tok'ra in more detail. We shuffled into the dark space and I flicked on the lights absently, taking a seat. I noticed Sam was just staring at me, not taking her usual seat.

"Sam? What's wrong?"

_**She looks like she's been bit by a Wek'lat.**_

_What the hell is a Wek'lat? Oh, God. Jack's been wearing off on me._

_**A small creature who's venom causes… intestinal problems.**_

_That's kind of rude to say about Sam. She's my best friend. Actually… um… In truth, she kind of does._

Sam cleared her throat for the third time, I actually started to wonder if she was bitten by a Wek'lat, "Sam?"

"Um… It's nothing." She turned away and took a seat, studying an artifact sitting on my desk.

_**Obviously not nothing.**_

_You think?_

_**I do.**_

_I was being sarcastic._

_**Why?**_

_Because… oh, just forget it._

_**I am not likely to forget this. The Tok'ra have very good memories.**_

_God, why did I have to get stuck with the socially inept Tok'ra?_

_**I don't believe that 'God' will answer you, as you are talking in your head.**_

_Okay, now you're just doing that on purpose._

_—_

I sighed as twirled my chair around in the briefing room. We had taken our break from the idiot snaky bustards, and had come back for further discussion with the Tok'ra. I glanced at T after my 360, and saw him staring at me creepily.

"Uh… T? Got something to tell me?" I raised my eyebrows at him. Still hadn't perfected the single-eyebrow-raise yet. It was harder than it looked.

"I do not, O'Neill. I do, however, have a question." He waited, silently asking for my permission to continue.

"Okay. If you stop staring creepily at me, then I'll answer your question."

I swear I saw him smile slightly, "Why are you treating Danielle Jackson with such malice?"

Way to cut to the chase, "She's the one who's acting as if I murdered her husband or something." I flinched at my poor choice of words, "Ah, hell. Sorry, T."

He bowed his head, "It is alright, O'Neill. Please continue."

"I mean, every time I turn around, she's glaring daggers at me. That's not my fault."

"Indeed it is."

My eyebrows climbed even higher than earlier, "May I ask why?"

"You may." There was an awkward pause, and I realized he actually wanted me to ask why.

"Okay. Explain to me why this is all my fault."

"You were the one to express irritability and anger toward Danielle Jackson, and she is only responding to that. You gave her no reason for your anger, and she did not give you a reason to be angry. This made Danielle Jackson upset and angry toward you. Everyone is unsure of why you are infuriated with Danielle Jackson. That is why my original question was stated."

"And that was…" I gestured for him to fill in the blank.

"Why are you treating Danielle Jackson with such malice?"

"Oh." It was astonishing as to how perceptive Teal'c had gotten.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow as if to ask W_ell?_

I cleared my throat, "Oh! Um, It's just that… you know." It wasn't often that the tough Colonel O'Neill was rendered unable to come up with a good cover story.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow again and tilted his head for good measure.

I sighed, "T, you know that I care for Dani, right?"

"Indeed I do, O'Neill." He looked at me triumphantly for a moment, then his face reversed back to calm stoicism.

"Um, well, I'm kind of angry at that stupid Tok'ra for taking her. I mean, I hate the Tok'ra, and I…"

"Love." Teal'c supplied helpfully.

"No…"

Teal'c just stared at me.

"Alright. Fine. I can say it." I paused, and he just continued to stare stoically at me, "And… and, I love Dani. It's just kind of awkward, and that Tok'ra is making me mad."

"And so you are releasing your anger at Danielle Jackson." He nodded, confirming the statement.

"No…"

Another stare down. I lost, as usual.

"Fine. Yes, I'm mad at Dani too, now. She's siding with that damn snake!" My anger erupted again, making my voice rise.

He opened his mouth to respond, probably to tell me to calm myself, when the door opened, and Carter and Dani entered the room. I glared at Dani, my talk with Teal'c having abated none of my anger. She matched my glare, sending some daggers my way with her ice blue eyes. They both sat down, Dani never breaking her glare. In the middle of our stare off, the Tok'ra and General Hammond walked into the room and took a seat. This was going to be an interesting briefing.


	5. Hopelessly Outnumbered

Sensing the tension and catching Danielle and the colonel's cold glares to each other, my dad leaned over and spoke, probably in what he thought was an effective whisper, "Sam. Did I miss something?"

I was hesitant to answer, "Kind of… yea. Maybe..."

"Okay… Want to fill me in?"

"Later, Dad."

He gave me a funny look, then conceded, sighing, "Alright. But promise me you'll tell me."

"Of course." My attention was dawn away from the conversation by the mysterious Tok'ra. He had finally shown his face (he hadn't been at the first briefing. Nobody knew where he had gone), and, I had to admit, he was quite handsome. He had short, black hair and sparkling, dark brown eyes. His face was thin, and he had high cheekbones. I heard Dani gasp as she spotted him, but she quickly composed herself.

"Eytan. Nice to meet you. Nathifa tells me good things about you and Tarik."

He smiled, "And I have no idea who you are." They both laughed a little, "But I do know Nathifa."

Dani smiled at him, then bowed her head, and her head rose up to look at him after a moment. Nathifa spoke to him in what was probably Goa'uld, and Tarik spoke back. I tuned out of the conversation, now that I couldn't understand it. What was their connection? Were they like Jolinar and Martouf? Of were they just close friends. Or maybe even just colleagues. Well, the plot thickens, I guess.

I heard the sound of Danielle's normal voice, and tuned back into the exchange.

"Nathifa 'wmr ly mdbr 'bryt zh sph yph. (Nathifa tells me you speak Hebrew. It's a beautiful language)

My brow wrinkled, and I suddenly wished I had that universal translator from Star Trek. At least this was an Earth language.

Eytan smiled widely, "Zhw. W'th mdbr 't zh twb m'wd." (It is. You speak it very well)

She smiled back at him, "Twdh." (Thank you)

My head whipped from the pair to look at my CO as he, with narrowed eyes, cleared his throat, "When you two are done _chatting_, we have a briefing to start. You know, if you don't mind. Some of us actually work sometimes." He sent a glare at the pair of them.

"Colonel!" The general's commanding voice cut across the colonel's rude and abrupt statement.

"Yes, sir?" He looked at the general, quickly changing his expression, looking as innocent as an angel (I rolled my eyes secretly. Innocent. Ya, right. If that day comes, I'll kiss McKay).

Hammond sent him a disapproving glare, "I think you know, colonel. But, he has a point. We should get this over as soon as possible. I need my flagship team ready for duty as soon as possible."

Eytan nodded respectfully, but I didn't miss the quick glare he sent the colonel. Hm… could he sense that Colonel O'Neill and Dani had some sort of sexual tension thing going on? Very astute.

My dad spoke up, "We already were briefed on what happened, and, Nathifa, that information was quite useful, but I do not think that we can put her undercover again. Too many people will recognize Danielle on sight."

The general gave a concise nod, "I agree. The best place for Dr. Jackson is here, at the SGC. I believe she should be able to stay on SG-1. If you ever need Nathifa, for a mission or for information, feel free to contact us. We will cooperate fully."

Dad stood up, "Sounds about right. Now, if you will excuse us, we have some information to give to the high council. The sooner they receive it, the better."

Eytan piped up, "Jacob, I-"

"Eytan, you need to be at the briefing. I know you were close to Zara (previous host to Nathifa, as I found out later), and I'm sure George'll let you visit Dani and Nathifa anytime, but we have to get this information to the council! You know that our operatives could benefit from this new information."

Eytan hesitated and, finding no flaw in the logic, sighed, "You are right, of course. The operatives' missions come before everything else." He turned to Dani, and spoke quietly, "Dny'l, zh huh t'nwg lpgws 'wrk, w'ny mqwwh snqbl 't hhzdmmwt lr'wt 'hd 't hsny swb bywm mn hymym." (Danielle, it was a pleasure meeting you, and I hope we get the opportunity to see each other again someday) He smiled sweetly and, as she stood up, he kissed her cheek. I think the colonel's head exploded.

"Ihtr'wt, 'ytn." (Goodbye, Eytan) She smiled and took her seat again.

"Ihtr'wt."

I quickly turned my head away from the gooey goodbye as Eytan's eyes flicked in my direction. I was never the best eavesdropper. I turned to my dad, attempting to cover up my eavesdropping by giving him a hug, "Bye Dad. Make sure to visit soon."

"Ya, Jacob. You never call, never write…" The colonel, having overheard, decided it would be a good time to join in.

"Yes, Jack, of course." He stood up, and bowed his head, Selmak in control. Addressing General Hammond, he (she?) smiled slightly, "Thank you, general, for your hospitality. We will contact you when Nathifa and Dr. Jackson are needed."

General Hammond nodded, "Anytime. The Tok'ra are always welcome. Now, if you will come with me, I'll escort you to the gate room. No need to keep you any longer." He made his way out of the briefing room, followed by the Tok'ra and SG-1. I brought up the back (usually Teal'c's place, but things were a little messed up at the moment). My sharp eyes, yet again, did not miss the twin glares that the colonel and Dani shot angrily at each other. I did promise my dad I would tell him what was going on, but I had to find out myself, first. This was confusing the hell out of me. Dani was not a Goa'uld, she was staying on SG-1, and she even had better fighting skills. So, why were the two pissed off at each other? I had almost worked up the courage to ask Dani about it in her office, but I backed out. My motto: DON'T POKE THE DRAGON. If Dani was already steamed at the colonel, no need for her to be irritated at me too. Maybe Teal'c knew something… but, I couldn't ask now. Maybe in a few hours, when she's been away from Colonel O'Neill for a while, and with a few beers… Crap! She can't get drunk with her symbiote. Damn it. So… enlist Janet's help, and have a night of Star Trek to soften her up, then, when she's tired, coerce the information out of her. Sounds good. Okay, so-

"UNSCHEDULED OFF WORLD ACTIVATION!"

I jumped out of my skin. We were in the gate room, about to get Walter to dial the Tok'ra stargate, when the chevrons started to light up following Walter's announcement. We all looked up to Walter.

"Status?" The general stepped back a few steps to see the control room properly.

"It's the Tok'ra IDC, sir."

"Open the iris." As commanded, the metal barrier slid open smoothly.

"Speak of the devil." Dani said, "Looks like the briefing is coming to you."

My dad smiled, "Looks like it. I'm guessing they'll send-"

The event horizon rippled, and gracefully spit out my favorite Tok'ra (besides Dad), Martouf.

I grinned, "Martouf. Great to see you again!" I stepped a little closer to him as he walked off the ramp, and the gate shut down.

"Sammantha." He smiled serenely at me, as usual, "It's wonderful to see you too. But, I'm actually here on behalf of the high council. They would like me to collect any information from Zara and Nathifa's mission."

Dad nodded, "Council getting squirmy?"

"That's one way to put it." Martouf tipped his head to the side, "Where is Zara?"

Eytan stepped forward, "She… Zara is dead. Nathifa was forced to switch to a different host."

Martouf lowered his head, and then looked back up, "That is very unfortunate. Zara was a very good operative. If I may ask, who does Nathifa reside in at the moment?" Lantesh said stoically.

"That would be me." Danielle smiled at Lantesh, "Nice to see you Lantesh. Martouf."

"Dr. Jackson?"

She offered a smile, even if it was a little forced, "That would be me. And I told you, call me Dani."

He hesitated out of shock, "Alright, Danielle. Could-"

"UNSCHEDULED OFF WORLD ACTIVATION!"

"Oh, fer crying out loud! Does the damn gate have to go off every 5 seconds?"

The general sighed, stifled a smile, and turned to the control room, "Report?"

"It's SG-11, and they are under fire!"

"Open the iris! Defense teams!" We were roughly shoved behind the lines of airmen as they rushed into the gate room.

We anxiously watched the deceivingly calm event horizon for a few seconds, holding our breaths, and then 4 figures flew out of the stargate backwards, tumbling gracelessly down the ramp, yelling, "Close the iris!"

The iris slid shut, and the members of SG-11 stood up, brushing themselves off.

"Well, that was a lovely trip." Jennifer Hailey made a face and picked a clump of some slime off her shirt.

"And we could barely even see the enemy! That sucked. It was like they were invisible. We could only faintly see movement. Ugh." Colonel Lyle sighed as they walked down the ramp, ready to hand their weapons to the waiting SFs.

"Ya, we think they have some sort of chameleon camouflage trait."

"You. You think. There is no we."

"Ya sure-"

I smiled at the casual banter. Being on a team was great. If the team members decided to be civil to one another. Ya, like that would happen soon.

BANG!

Everything slowed down. I automatically reached for a weapon that wasn't there, as I whipped around to see Captain Finn crumple to the ground, a red burn on his forehead. Suddenly, all of the SFs carrying weapons fell to the ground like dominoes, dead to the world. We looked on in horror, and scanned the room rapidly for the threat, ready to take action on a moments notice, all too stunned to move at all. After an eternity of silence and tension, we all heard a yell, and the chevrons began to light up. Everyone, including the Tok'ra, scrambled for the armories while I sprinted to the control room. I hesitated at the computer, then pushed the unconscious sergeant out of the way, reaching to close the iris. As I pressed my hand against it, I looked up, expecting to be greeted by the metal barrier. Yet, nothing happened as the vortex flew out, and the event horizon began to spit out people only to have them vanish instantly. All I could see were faint ripples of movement extending through the gate room. Helpless, and in desperate need of a weapon, I turned to exit the control room, and saw a woman dressed in all black standing there, before a sharp pain, and nothingness.

NOTE:

Thank you so much for the reviews! I hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter. If you have any ideas, complaints, criticisms, or suggestions, please, let me know ASAP! The next chapter may take a few days more than usual to post, but I'll try to get it posted as soon as I can :)


	6. Incubators

_Where am I? Where's my weapon?_

I paused, waiting for the response I had gotten used to, but none came. I frowned, a little worried. But, maybe Tok'ra can sleep. I got up and stretched, peering around me.

_Wait, this is the SGC!_

And, with that, the memories came flying back. The arrival of Martouf, the abrupt entrance of SG-11, Captain Finn getting knocked out, the SFs crumpling to the ground, running to the armory, people dressed in black, pain, and nothingness.

I walked a few steps until I was out of the room, and glanced down both sides of the hallway. It was spotless. That was the one thing that jumped out at me. There was no dirt, alien slime, or scraps of food on the floor. It was quite unsettling. A bit of green flicked into my peripheral vision, and I turned to see Major Ferreti coming around the corner.

"Lou!" I called out to him and he turned his face lighting up.

"Finally! I can't find anyone!"

I forced back a feeling of sickening dread at that statement, "Nobody?"

"Nobody. It's like they just cleaned up and left. Only the normal equipment is here. There's no coffee, paperwork, or even pencils lying around. Not even a bit of evidence showing anyone was here at all. Those alien bastards are gone too. Good riddance to them, but where the hell is everyone else?"

"I just woke up… I don't know."

I suddenly saw Ferreti's lips moving, but with no sound accompanying him. I heard breathing, slow breaths. I felt trapped, pressed down. The sound of wind, or whispers. Words. I could just make them out against the high pitched buzzing… My name? Something about the gate?

"Vis detinâtors… drea… keeper… n… real..."

My head spun, and the buzzing increased. Vis detinâtors… What was that, Romanian? Yes, Romanian. Why? The buzzing increased. Oh, god. Maybe it was important. Vis… dream. And detinâtor… what was that? Hold, no. It was… it was… keep! Yes, dream keeper. The buzzing increased to a ear splitting level, and I heard screaming. Who was that? Was it me. Maybe it was me…

"Dani! Danielle! Hey, Jackson. Wake up, damn it!"

My eyes flew open. Panting, I sat up. Wait, sat up? I glanced around and found myself on the concrete floor, with Ferreti crouching beside me.

"What-" I attempted to swallow, but, when I found that I couldn't, just stopped trying in favor of breathing.

"You just collapsed. You were saying something about dreams, and then you started screaming. What the hell was that, Dani? And, but the way, you hit your head when you collapsed. Let me check it."

"I'll do it. It doesn't hurt at all." I reached back to touch my head, and felt wetness. Pulling my had away, still feeling no pain, we both stared at my hand in shock. It was silver. I was bleeding silver! With a rush, everything clicked. No Nathifa. The cleanliness. The lack of people. The voice. Dream keeper… This was-

"A dream." I whispered quietly, "This isn't real. Oh, god. This isn't real. We're not here." My head spinning, the whispers growing in volume, I clumsily got to my feet and sprinted toward the end of the hallway. Yelling behind me. I didn't stop. 20 feet. 10 feet. The grey, rushing toward me. Closer, closer. Every instinct screaming for me to stop. I was burning, the whispers morphing into screams of protest. I should stop. No! You can't Almost there. The wall was close. inches away, forcing itself upon me. So close. keep going. Have to keep going. All the yelling, screaming. It had to stop. It had to end. Please. The fire, reaching it's peak, yelling full force. Then I hit. Silence. Deathly silence.

**_Danielle..._**

My eyes snapped open.

* * *

I woke up, groaning. Damn. A nail pounded and imbedded itself into my skull. I reached up to clutch my screaming head, but I hit a barrier. I glanced down. I was in a chair, with my hands on the arms, but there were no restraints. I pulled, but nothing happened. My head was facing the ceiling, so I tilted it down, examining my hands. A flicker. There was a flicker! I peered closer, and spotted it again. A glimmer around my hands and around my ankles. Force field duct tape. I never thought I'd see the day. Huh.

"Greetings."

I almost got whiplash from pulling my head up that quickly.

"Hi…" Who the hell are these people?

"We are the Gomearl. And you are..." The woman, dressed in all black, loomed over me.

I glanced around. I was still in the control room. Good. "Sam."

"What were you attempting to do while we were arriving?"

Well then, don't beat around the bush then, "I was trying to stop you from arriving. Don't think I succeeded."

"You did not."

"Alright. Think you could leave us alone? We did nothing to you. We hadn't even met you until you invaded our planet!"

"Ah, invading is not the correct word. We are… scouting. And this planet is perfect."

"For…" This did not sound so good. I was beginning to be afraid that this was one of those insane egotistical races that would kill all of us without blinking. Still, the fact that they didn't kill us in the first place is a good sign. I mean-

"We will use humans as growth pockets for our offspring."

What was I saying?

"You'll WHAT?" My eyebrows had shot up further than I though possible.

"We will use humans as-"

"Ya, I got that part, thanks. I'm just, um, shocked. So, what does the process of using us a growth pockets entail?" Might as well get information before I piss them off with sarcastic comments and snide remarks (gee, wonder who I learned that from).

"We will put you in a group dream state (turns out they can connect multiple people to the same dream), and allow our offspring to burrow into you, at the stomach. We will keep you alive, still in a dream state, while our offspring grows to be too large to fit inside your bodies. Then, they will break out from inside of you, grown to maturity, and we dispose of you."

At least they were forthcoming.

"Um, you know, that's not very, um, humane. In fact, that's downright cruel! You are destroying my entire race for the benefit of yourselves. That's really quite selfish. Maybe you could act a little less evil, too. You know it wouldn't kill you to at least pretend to be friendly! Maybe ask nicely? Not barge in here like a bull in a china shop."

Her eye narrowed and she glared pure death at me, "My race need this! For our young to mature, they need pockets of food and warmth. They stay in the mother and feed until they break out and the parent dies. We remove the offspring and put it in you, and all is well. Nobody dies. From our scans, you have billions of possible growth pockets. I think I'll make you the first transplant growth pocket."

That's not something you usually want to hear. And also something that's hard to think of a scathing retort to counter it. I opened my mouth to make some sarcastic comment about incubators, when a yell was heard just outside the door. Some whispering happened, and then two figures burst in and attacked the four aliens in the room. I suddenly felt a small zap of static, and my bonds were gone. Standing up and stretching, I turned to thank my saviors (I hope they were my saviors), and saw Dani and Ferreti stood side by side, collecting weapons from the downed aliens. Dani straightened up, dumping her stack of guns off to the side and smiled.

"Thank god your okay. Why didn't they put you into a dream state? And do you know where everyone else is?"

Of all the words I could have used, I just couldn't think of a good one, "Huh?"

Dani walked over and hugged me briefly, "I'll take that as a no. Oh, and Nathifa says that these guys are called Vis detinâtors, or dream keepers. Well, they call themselves the Gomearl. They have conquered thousands of worlds in the last decade. They even attacked the Tok'ra at one point. The dream keepers killed about twenty of them. Nathifa also mentioned that they can camouflage with their background, so it's extremely hard to see them when they blend. We have our work cut out for us."

I blinked at her, absorbing this boatload of information, "Alright… so, we find the armory, get out our own weapons, find everyone else, and defeat these aliens."

"One small problem."

Crap. Could this get any worse, "Problem?"

"Their suits are bullet, zat, and staff weapon proof."

My mouth dropped. I needed to get my hands on that material. That was amazing. But, bad for us. Very, very, very bad, "So, we have to take a base full of camouflaging aliens out hand-to-hand?"

"Not necessarily. Nathifa says that they are vulnerable to gamma radiation. Think you can whip something up? Maybe a radiation gun of some sort?"

I nodded, ideas already forming in my mind, "We've been working on the energy weapons SG-12 brought back, and I can modify them to shoot pulses of gamma radiation. Should take about an hour to do all of them. If you guys help, maybe about 45 minutes."

Dani sighed, "Okay. Ready?"

"Yep." I nodded, snatching up an alien energy weapon (may not work on them, but it's probably good for hitting evil alien races with).

"Ready." Ferreti also grabbed a weapon from the pile.

"Sam? Want to take point?" Dani pulled out her knife, looking at it critically.

I took a deep breath, nodding to her as I walked out of the control room, starting down the corridor. All we had to do was fight a large amount of aliens hand to hand to get to my lab on the other side of the base, modify the energy weapons to shoot radiation without getting caught, find everybody else and wake them up, and take over a base filled with technologically advanced camouflaging aliens without being killed. Yep, piece of cake.

* * *

NOTE:

Hey guys! Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews! The next chapter will hopefully be in Jack's POV (he will be in the same dream with Eytan and Teal'c, and there will be a rivalry with Eytan and Jack, as requested), so if you have any other suggestions, please say so! I'll post the next chapter ASAP. Thanks again :)


	7. Shock

NOTE: Hi guys. I know that there has been some questions, so let me clear some stuff up. The dreaming works on everyone, but, since the Tok'ra have two consciousnesses, the dreaming doesn't work all the way on the symbiote. You can wake up if you die in the dream, or are woken up by someone who is awake. Sam was not put to sleep, as they wanted information out of her. Also, the aliens aren't subjugating the entire pant yet. This is cleared up during Sam's POV in this chapter.

* * *

My eyes snapped open and I quickly sat up, my eyes rapidly scanning the room for threats. A flash of color came into my vision, and I stood up, facing the person in a defensive position. Recognition dawned, and I sighed, relaxing only slightly, "Well, hello Eytan. Nice seeing you here." Sarcasm dripped from my voice.

"Colonel O'Neill." He bowed his head in supposed respect, but don't think I missed the flash of resentment on his face.

"Eytan and Tarik. It is good to see you alive." A deep voice resonated through the empty room, and Teal'c revealed himself, walking up next to us. A man was beside him, and I quickly identified him as Martouf, but my focus was on Teal'c.

"Hey, T. What about me? Glad to see me alive?" I raised my eyebrows as high as I possibly could (I'd been practicing), but he matched me eyebrow for eyebrow.

"Perhaps."

I sighed and turned to look at Martouf and Eytan. They were talking quietly off to one side, Martouf showing concern for Eytan, and vise versa. Ya, not the situation with T and I over here. Sure, **I** was worried (I wouldn't say worried, maybe slightly concerned), but he showed nothing. Nada, zip, zilch. He was probably still pissed at me for 'treating Danielle with unwarranted anger'. Oh, it was warranted all right. I heaved a sigh. And, on top of those issues, we have an alien invasion on our hands. This was turning into a GREAT day. I surveyed the room, containing a chair, two snake heads (fine, Tok'ra), a Jaffa, and a human. This was gonna be fun. I clapped my hands together.

"So, onto the problem at hand. What the hell is going on?"

"Well, these aliens are called the Gomearl. They put people in dream states to contain them. They also produce a pheromone that can trick people into believing they look like their species. So, they look human to us. Now-" He suddenly stopped, developing a shocked look.

"Martouf?" Eytan stepped toward him, "Martouf!"

"I can't hear him." Martouf whispered quietly, "He's not there. Just gone."

"Who's gone?" I was starting to get a bad feeling.

"Lantesh."

Then it was Eytan who froze, "I can't hear Tarik."

If I had blinked, I would have missed it. It happened so fast. Their eyes rolled back into their heads almost simultaneously, and they collapsed like rag dolls.

"Whoa!" I rushed forwards as they began to scream. They were both breathing hard, their eyes moving rapidly under their eyelids. In between screams, they seemed to be talking, whispering. I checked Martouf's pulse, and found it beating extremely fast, much faster than should be normal. Teal'c crouched next to me, seemingly unaffected by the sudden collapse of the two Tok'ra (and their really loud screams).

"Perhaps we should check them for injuries sustained when they collapsed."

Alright, just completely ignore all of the screaming. I could do that. I raised Martouf's head off the floor (like hell I would help Eytan), and ran my hand across the back of his head. I sucked in a breath as I felt a considerable amount of blood. Carefully taking my hand away, I looked down at it, scrambling away as I saw what was dripping off of it. Silver. It was silver. Holy crap. His blood was silver! Suddenly, the screaming ceased, which jerked me out of my trace like state. Martouf and Eytan sat up, seeming to not notice the giant gashes bleeding silver on their heads.

"What happened?"

"Why are we on the floor?"

I cleared my throat, "It looks like you guys are bleeding silver."

Two pairs of eyes turned to stare at me incredulously, "Excuse me?"

"Silver, no joke." I waved my hand in front of them. This was really strange. Still weirder things had happened.

A sudden intake of breath from Eytan drew attention to him, "I think we're dreaming."

"How could we be dreaming, Eytan and Tarik?"

"They put people in a dream state. They can also put people in shared dreams. They bleed silver, and they think we do too. They can't get every detail right. This isn't real."

And with that, he stood up, and snapped Martouf's neck.

—

I glared at the uncooperative piece of technology.

"You will work." I muttered to the weapon, poking at a wire with my pliers. I let out a frustrated sort of grunt/sigh, and sat back in my chair, having a stare down with the gun.

"You know, Sam," Dani piped up from the other side of my lab, "I think the inanimate objects usually win all of the staring contests." I glanced up at her with a mock glare. It was quite funny how she'd picked up Colonel O'Neill's speech patterns and sense of humor over the last 5 years.

"Uh huh. Well, I can try."

"Sure…" Ferreti poked his head into the room, grinning maliciously at me before ducking back outside. I shook my head and went back to work, grabbing my torch. Just as I flicked it on, I heard a yelp, follows by a smashing noise. Startled, I turned off the torch and grabbed the knife sitting beside me. Dani and I waited few long seconds (seemed like an eternity), before Ferreti stuck his head in again, the sleeve of his BDU jacket singed off, "No worries! I got this. You guys can just fix the fancy little space gun to kick ass, while I kick some **serious** alien ass out here with my 2 x 4." He held up the piece of plywood he had randomly found, and swiftly ducked back outside as we both threw wads of paper at his head.

Dani smiled, meandering over to my side of the lab. She delicately picked up the one photo I kept in my lab. It was SG-1, about a year ago. We were with SG-2, and were being chased by natives. The archaeologist of SG-2 happened to have her camera out, and accidentally snapped a picture. It was hilarious. Colonel O'Neill was twisting backwards, trying to shoot, and protect Dani all at the same time (quite a feat, one that he didn't quite pull off), Dani catching him as he fell, and hitting heads with Teal'c and I as we all reached to help him up. Afterwards, the archaeologist had come up to me and given me the picture, saying that she thought I might want to have it. It was not the perfect picture, but it embodied what we were. A team who had each other's backs, even if we did hit heads every once in a while (literally and figuratively). As she looked at the photo, a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

I decided that if I couldn't confront her now, I couldn't do it ever. But, I had to beat around the bush a little first, "That's a great picture."

She looked up, a small smile on her face, "Ya. It really is. The mission was horrible, but the picture was great."

I grinned, "True. I'm so glad that Lisa (Sg-2's archaeologist) gave it to me."

"That was a great year." Her smile slipped a little.

"Dani…" I hesitated, but decided that I could speak now or forever hold my peace, "What's going on with you and Colonel O'Neill? I mean, everything was great, and then, after you became a host, you guys were at each other's throats all of the sudden. You're really pissed off at each other for some reason, and nobody can figure out why. And I know this is been harder on you than you're showing. You anger towards the colonel can't be making it any easier. What's going on?"

She briefly closed her eyes and sighed, "I… I actually don't know why he's mad, but I am just angry towards his attitude. He's acting like I'm week old junk that needs to be thrown out. He's just being SUCH an ass! I have no idea why, but it's pissing me off. And apparently everyone knows I'm mad at him, even though I tried to be civil. I might as well have broadcasted it to the whole world!"

She was being a little bit confusing (okay, I completely lost her train of thought), but one thing registered. _…broadcasted it to the whole world!_ Oh, God. I had forgotten about that. The alien said that they were going to use the billions of people on the planet for incubators. They may not have gone off the base at the moment, but, once they dealt with us, they would attack the civilian population. We had to warn someone, find someway to help if they defeated us here. But who else could help defeat aliens that knew about the program?The answer came to me in a flash. Russia. If we could get to a land line, we could contact the Russians, warn them about the pending attack. The closest land line was in the general's office. Damn. Okay, we could pull this off. I took a breath, and glanced up at Dani who was giving me a strange look.

"Sam? You okay?"

Oh. That's right. We were having a conversation.

"Oh, ya. I'm gonna have to put a rain check on this talk. When the aliens captured me, I got some information out of them. They were planning on taking over the world, remember?"

She nodded. I had filled them in on the walk to my lab.

I picked up a piece of the gun and began to fiddle with it, "Well, if they defeat us here, nobody else will know. We need to warn someone. So, I figured that the Russians would be perfect. If we can get to the general's office and warn them using the red phone in his office, then we can ensure that civilians will be a least partly protected."

She looked startled at my relegation, "Good point. I can go. I've dealt with them before, they know me."

"Uh uh. Take Ferreti."

"He needs to stay here with you."

"I have the radiation gun!"

"Which is not finished!"

Our voices had gotten significantly louder, which had drawn Ferreti inside, "Are you trying to get us caught?!"

"Well, Dani won't agree to take you." I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Um… I really don't want to be beat up." Ferreti shifted uncomfortably.

"See! Wait- what?" Dani and I turned to stare at him in confusion. Beat up? Where on earth did he get that from?

"Well, you said you would take me. Like in a fight." He looked on in confusion, "Is that not what you meant?"

There was a heavy pause, and then I snorted. That was the tiny straw that broke the camel's back. In a good way, I guess. Dani and I dissolved into a merciless laughing fit. We were forced to clutch at our sides and support each other as laughs wracked our bodies. I don't know why we found it that funny, but I guess it was just the need to relieve the stress of being attacked by aliens (you know how it is).

Ferreti, meanwhile, was looking at us like either we were insane, or he was.

"Guys?"

I held up a finger as I attempted, and spectacularly failed, to stop laughing. We started taking deep breaths, attempting to calm ourselves enough to form coherent sentences. I sucked in some air, and managed to maintain a straight face through sheer force of will. Military mode, as Dani called it.

"Okay, here's the deal. You need to go with Dani to the general's office and call the Russians, let them know what's going on. Also, wake anyone up you find along the way. I'll stay here and put that force field I've been working on over the door. They can't get in, but I can shoot stuff out when I finish the gun."

He gave a concise nod, "Alright. Let's go." He glanced around the room and carefully picked out an alien gun and a tiny shovel (I have to use something to care for my plants). Dani, now that she knew I'd be save, followed along and grabbed a knife and a screw driver. Danielle walked over to me and gave me a side hug, not wanting to accidentally stab me. She offered a smile, and I reciprocated with a grin.

"Don't get killed."

"You too."

I turned away from the door after they had walked out of it and grabbed a remote, flicking on the force field. After checking if it was working, I went back over to the radiation gun. I frowned and connected two blue wires, only to have it shower sparks all over me and spit out a cloud of smoke. Coughing, I waved my hand through the smoke to clear it. I couldn't glare very well with my eyes watering, but I could try. I sent a scowl at the gun and sighed. Well, I could only hope that Dani and Ferreti would have better luck.

* * *

NOTE:

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! There is one person who gave me a WONDERFUL suggestion, but they were anonymous, so I can't name them. Still, you know who you are, and thank you so much! Please review with criticisms, thoughts, and suggestions. Thanks :)


	8. Short Meeting

I darted quietly up the stairs and peered around the corner, cautiously glancing around. Raising my hand, I gestured for Ferreti that it was all clear. He came forward and went stealthily into the room, giving me the okay when he had cleared the room. I fast walked past his position and, as the control room was now clear, walked as quietly as a person could on metal grates up the stairs. Cautiously, I inched around the turning stairs and scanned the briefing room. I sucked in a sharp breath as I saw two of the aliens standing near the round oval table.

I took a deep breath and prepared myself. It was somehow different, killing with a knife. It was more… intimate than just firing of a few round from a gun. And while I hated to kill in any way, it was sometimes necessary, and the knife just made it more difficult. Still, these guys were planning on using us as incubators before they violently killed us. Reinforcements were hopefully on their way (when lockdown is initiated with no warning or contact within an hour, a foothold situation is assumed, and backup is sent), they may not come in time or be overwhelmed. This was our only choice at the moment.

My sharpened Tok'ra hearing picked up their movements, and I stepped out of my hiding place. My eyes quickly locked on my target, and the knife flashed in my hand. I sprinted forward while the other one was distracted, and knocked him out with a quick elbow to the ribs and face. They both crumpled, and I retrieved my knife, sighing in relief when I saw that my knife throwing was not quite up to par, and, by sheer luck, the handle had hit the alien, not the blade.

"All clear." I called out softly to Ferreti, who moved up the stairs to join me. He let out s soft whistle.

"Not bad for a geek."

"Gee, thanks."

He chucked and we made our way into the general's office. I immediately walked over to the phone, picked it up, and stopped. Ferreti glanced at me from his spot at the door, "What's the problem?"

I gave a dry, humorless laugh, "You want to hear something funny?"

"Oh, God. What is it?"

"I don't know their phone number."

* * *

"Be quiet, please, and let me think of a plan."

"Oh, so you think you're smarter than me?"

"Perhaps."

"Why, you little sh-"

"ENOUGH!" My strong commanding voice cut across the bickering human and Tok'ra, "We must focus, not squabble like children." I glared at O'Neill and Eytan. They had been belligerent and, as O'Neill himself has said, 'snippy' ever since we woke up from our psudo-dream. They began quarreling about Eytan not informing of his plan to wake us up at first. Then, once that argument had burned out, they had begun picking over minute and unimportant topics, such as intelligence and the ability to fire a weapon with accuracy.

The constant bickering had 'ruffled my feathers' (as O'Neill also says). I am unsure why they insist upon infuriating each other, but I believe this may a contest of sorts. Perhaps it is the deciding factor over who becomes the alpa male. But, that is unlikely considering the culture of the Tau'ri. So, perhaps it is just that they naturally anger each other. Although, I have sensed that it has to do with Danielle Jackson. They may be competing over her. I am unsure why they would not just duel or spar for claim of her (that is how we do things on Chulak), but now is not the time for dueling or for fighting. At least not fighting each other. I continued to glare at them.

"We must go to the control room and attempt to analyze our current situation. Also, we must wake up anybody we come across before it is too late for them. We are all aware of what will happen to anybody who may be captured by this race of people. It is imperative that we hurry."

O'Neill nodded slowly, seeing my irrefutable logic, "Okay. Lets's head out. I'll take point. T, watch our six."

I gave a firm nod, and we started out. After reaching the control room and finding nothing (it would appear as if none of our group was aware of how to operate the computers), went up to the briefing room to strategize. As we ascended the stairs, I heard voices up ahead. O'Neill seemed to have heard the voices also, as he held up his fist in a signal to stop. We waited quietly and he gave a nod. We crept out slowly, ready to take the enemy out, when I recognized a voice.

"O'Neill." My voice was below a whisper, "I believe that is Danielle Jackson with another person."

Everyone strained their ears (O'Neill did, nobody else had to, as we had superior hearing).

"You're kidding." A male voice sounded incredulous.

"Nope." That was most definitely Danielle Jackson.

Unidentified male spoke up after taking a breath, "Well, this sure sucks."

"Oh, ya." Danielle Jackson yet again.

"Is there some sort of phone book or speed dial?"

"Do you think I would know where that is?"

A pause, then, "… good point. So, what now?"

"Um…"

As the conversation seemed to be at an impasse, and there was no sign of danger, I gave a nod to O'Neill, and he proceeded forward.

O'Neill announced our presence by clearing his throat loudly and saying, "Whatcha doing?"

Danielle Jackson and the man now identified as Major Ferreti jumped and whirled around. Danielle Jackson let out a relieved breath, "Teal'c, Martouf, Eytan. Good to see you. Jack."

It would appear that Danielle Jackson was still angry at O'Neill. And with just cause, as O'Neill still had not apologized for his inappropriate and rude behavior.

Eytan shot O'Neill a triumphant look and smiled at Danielle Jackson, "It is good to see you, Danielle."

She offered a smile, "Thank you, Eytan. But we have a bit of a conundrum here."

"Conundrum? What type of conundrum?" O'Neill frowned. Nobody answered, so the was an awkward silence that followed. I shifted, the tension breaking through my barrier, until Major Ferreti cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Well, we don't know the number for the Russians. We wanted to contact them so if the enemy got past us, they could be the next line of defense."

Martouf smiled, "That is quite the issue. I assumed that you knew all of the numbers to your telephones."

"Well, think of it like this. Do you know all the addresses to the stargate?" Danielle Jackson turned to see him better.

There was a pause, then, "I understand. It is an impossibility."

She smiled, "Yep."

Martouf gave a smile back, and turned to the rest of the group, "Do any of you know the number for these Russians?"

"Of course I do." O'Neill flashed a grin, "Why wouldn't I?" He grinned even wider as he glanced over at Eytan. Which did not go unnoticed by Danielle Jackson.

"Yes, we all know you have all the answers. Now just dial!" She snapped at him in irritation.

"Oh, yes your royal highness! Right away." He sent a nasty glare her way, and went over to the desk, riffling through one of the drawers until he pulled out a piece of paper and began to dial. This convict between Danielle Jackson and O'Neill needed to stop immediately. I turned and walked out of General Hammond's office to stand by the briefing room table. I heard some shuffling by the staircase and stood on guard.

"Major Ferreti, Eytan, Martouf, Danielle Jackson. I believe that there is someone approaching."

Spreading throughout the room, we readied our range of weapons and waited. Two figures burst out, but in SGC uniforms. They stopped suddenly when they saw us. One of them let out a breath.

"Thank God! You have to-"

BANG! Two shots were fired.

The SFs crumpled to the ground. There was silence. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw O'Neill join us, having finished his call. Every person held their breaths in anticipation. I heard a step, and, as if out of thin air, two figures appeared. My reflexes along with the Tok'ra's were quite good, and we rolled to the ground to avoid their fire, taking Major Ferreti with us. I jumped up and attacked the figures, my sharp eyes picking out the slightest movements of the enemy. Soon enough, there was silence. I turned to speak to O'Neill, but my mouth stood open unused. There was nobody where he used to be. I scanned the room, taking an inventory and holding my worry at bay. Eytan, Major Ferreti, Martouf… they were both gone. My eyes flicked to the open door at the other side of the room. I cursed myself inwardly. How could I forget about that door and not cover it? And now Danielle Jackson and O'Neill were taken. But I would find them. There was no doubt about it.

* * *

NOTE:

Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! And sorry for not publishing in a long time. It's been a very busy month (and will probably stay that way, but I will publish as soon as I possibly can). Also, to my very helpful anonymous reviewer (The one who gave me the idea about contacting the Russians, you must get an account!), you were right about one of the two references. The dreaming idea was a reference to Inception, but the silver blood was not taken from The Host (isn't that a Twilight book or something?). It was a reference to the TV show Fringe. Also, thanks to my few, but loyal, reviewers! And as always, suggestions, comments, reviews, and criticisms are welcome (and encouraged). Thanks :)


	9. Tied up

NOTE:

Hello! I made this note for four reasons.

One: to put a disclaimer in (I don't own anything).

Two: to warn about a few minor cuss words in this chapter (nothing big, I promise).

Three: to apologize for my bad writing (I've been kind of off lately)

Four: to warn you about this fluffy filler chapter (sorry, I had to do it at some point)

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

I woke up. This was actually a bigger accomplishment then it sounds like, considering my head felt like it had a nail in it. Maybe it did, wouldn't be the first time. I reached up to check, but, to my disappointment, found that I couldn't. Glancing down, I spotted the intricate weaving of wire around my hands and feet. What… I gasped as a barrage of memories hit me. Finding Teal'c, Jack, Eytan, and Martouf. The two SF's. The battle, and being shot from behind, along with Jack. Jack. My mind strayed to our… issues. What was his problem? I mean, he was just being an ass. Plain and simple. Jack the ass. And while it was sort of poetic and funny, it was true.

_Where the hell is he anyways? _The thought was for no one in particular, I had just gotten used to the idea of Nathifa being there.

_**Look up, Danielle. He's on the other side of the room.**_

I started in surprise. I had assumed, since I was captured, that I was dreaming. Obviously not, because Nathifa was there. But that begged another query.

_Why are we not in a dream?_

_**Most likely because we know how to get out of the dream state. So does Colonel O'Neill.**_

Oh, right. Jack. In the sudden excitement of hearing Nathifa, I had forgotten about him. But, even though all I wanted to do was forget about him for a while, I had to ask.

_Do you know where he is?_

_**Danielle, he is right across the room from you. He was actually watching you the last time you looked up.**_

My head snapped up instantly at that particular revelation. Focusing on the figure in front of me (how I had not seen him in the first place was a mystery), I saw him swiftly look away. My emotions, always right on the surface, started bubbling up again, and I felt the need to hit him. Hard. In the face. With my fist, preferably. I sucked in a shuddering breath, counting down from 10 in every language I could think of. Calming, peaceful thoughts, Danielle.

Danielle, you do not have time for this. We have to escape, and quickly. Can you break your bonds?

I'm not sure.

I set my jaw, and tended my muscles, straining against the bindings with as much strength as I could muster. As the metal sliced the skin open around my wrists, a coolness spread over the wound. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn't blood. Pausing, I tilted my head to the side. What was that? It wasn't wet, so not blood. There wasn't anything else it could be. Except...

"Ouch! Damn it!" The pain in my wrist increased tenfold, the cool feeling escalating into burning. My harsh breathing sounded around the room and the world began to gray around the edges. The pain began to expand, spreading its tendrils around my arm. The fire started, the pain sharply rising and becoming more intense.

"Dani?"

Jack. I latched onto the sound of his voice, creating an anchor for myself as the pain reached past my arms and onto the rest of my body. And then, as suddenly as it had started, the pain stopped. It was gone, evaporated. Gasping, I attempted to gain control of my breathing. I pulled my head up to look at Jack, offering a wry smile. Maybe I had to make the first move toward him. Be the bigger person.

"I take it we're not supposed to try and escape."

He seemed to find no humor in the statement, but countered with a sarcastic remark, "Your _superior_ Tok'ra strength failing you now?"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Or more like the sarcastic comment that broke the archaeologist's restraint.

"Okay, what is your problem? I have done NOTHING to you at all, and you're acting like… like I'm the enemy! I did nothing to deserve this you bastard!"

So much for being the bigger person.

He snorted and shook his head, " Nothing to deserve- Are you delusional? You're siding with them!"

"Excuse me?" I glared at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Jack shook his head and broke eye contact with me, staring daggers at the floor.

_**I believe the enemy he is referring to is me. I may not be the actual enemy, but I did invade your body without permission. Like I said earlier, it may be upsetting for him to see you as a host, and perhaps he believes that you are siding with me instead of him. This could explain both his distance from you and his anger.**_

_Well that's stupid. He's just being touchy. I'm not siding against him!_

_**Danielle, you are projecting your approval of me being your symbiote. This, to him, is a declaration against the SGC, and by extension him. **_

_I guess he could take it like that. But that gives him no right to treat me like this. This isn't just a walk in the park for me, and he knows that! Why should he make me suffer through his cold shoulder?_

_**We have already gone over this earlier today. I am not sure why he would react this way, nor am I condoning his actions. I am just explaining what his train of thought may be like.**_

_Alright… so do I tell him that? Do I tell him that you're not the enemy, and neither am I?_

_**You should try, but you should also not ignore the fact that he treated you badly.** _

I could feel my anger rising again, even more if possible.

_Yes, he did treat me badly. And I will not let him forget it. He is an ass, and I am going to tell him that._

_**Do as you must, but make it quick. We have to find a way out of here. If you two clear the air, then maybe you can actually be civilized to each other, and find a way to escape before we become incubators.**_

_II'll make it quick._

_**Good luck, you will need it from what I know about Colonel O'Neill.**_

_Thanks, I will need it. The thing is, he'll need it too._

_—_

I glared at the floor, attempting to reign in my anger. This sucked. Plain and simple. I was tied up in the waiting line to become an incubator with Danielle and _Nathifa. _Just great. Perfect. I exhaled in a huff, discreetly glancing up at Dani at the same time. She had her chin resting on her chest and wasn't moving at all. If I hadn't know better, I would have sworn she was sleeping. Dropping my gaze, I focused on an interesting spot on the floor. Was it a dead bug, or a piece of lint? Wow, I was pathetic.

"Jack." Her voice was steady, determined. Well, this did not bode well for me. But she was the one who was siding with the Tok'ra, so what was I afraid of? Coming up with no answer to my self-query, I responded icily.

"What?"

"You know, I'm not your enemy. I'm not siding against the SGC. Or you."

My eyes snapped up in barely concealed shock. How the hell had she known what was bothering me. Dani was perceptive, but not that perceptive. Unless… Nathifa. Stupid Tok'ra.

"Say thanks from me to your snake, will ya?"

I knew what came next. I always did after my sarcastic comments. The patented Danielle, _Jack, don't be an ass._

"Jack, don't be an ass."

Bingo.

"I could say the same to you." I muttered bitterly, "You're siding with the enemy. The Tok'ra aren't as important as your own people!"

"You don't think I know that? That's why I'm staying on SG-1!" She stared at me defensively.

"Why not just risk it and get rid of the snake?" Might as well throw that thought out there. Got nothing to loose.

"Jack, that could kill both of us."

"More likely her than you!"

"How ignorant are you? Do you even have a conscience? I couldn't do that! Nathifa is a good person, and you know that."

I snorted, "She's not even a person. Or a she, for that matter. Nathifa's an it! A Tok'ra, Goa'uld, whatever! You're on the wrong side! Her side!"

"I'm on your side! I will ALWAYS be on your side you idiot! I love-" She cut off suddenly, her breath catching in her throat. The tension weighed down on us, seeming to be slowly crushing us. Taking a deep breath, she finished the sentence, but obviously in a different way than she had first intended, "I- I love SG-1. You guys are closer than family for me. I will never be anywhere but with you guys. I promise."

What the hell was I supposed to say to that? I opened my mouth to respond, maybe even apologize (there was only an extremely small chance of that happening), but she smiled and cut me off, all the anger seeming to evaporate from both of us.

"I know, Jack. Just remember that I'm not the enemy. Neither is Nathifa." She paused, "Are we okay?"

I sucked in a deep breath, "Yeah. And Dani, hell will freeze over before I leave the team. And seeing that we blew up hell a few years back, it can never freeze over."

And the fog was lifted. A smile spread over Dani's face, and she started to laugh. Her laugh becoming infectious, I soon joined in. Soon enough, the chains on the wall were the only things holding us up from the laughs that wracked our bodies. After an eternity of laughing, I had finally pulled myself together, when a powerful alarm swept through the room. My eyebrows furrowed. What the hell was that?

"Why are the klaxons going off? I thought the Dream keepers shut down the system."

No wonder I hadn't recognized the sound. The klaxons seemed plain without Walter's voice accompanying them. But all of our teams are on world, so that meant...

"More aliens. Great." I rolled my eyes, heaving a sigh, "How much worse can this get?"

I really should've known better then to say that.

* * *

NOTE 2:

Thanks for reading! I will probably only write 4 more chapters at most and an epilogue. So, if you guys have any requests for the end of the story or for a next story, please tell me! And, as always, reviews, criticisms, and suggestions are always welcome. Thanks :)


	10. Hatched

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.

* * *

I aimed at a dead plant across the room and slowly squeezed the trigger. I flinched expectantly, but the gun didn't blow up or shoot sparks at me (as it had done the last 10 times). Prying my eyes open, I was just in time to witness wave of transparent radiation shooting across the area in a focused stream, passing right through the plant.

"YES! Finally, you stupid phaser."

I had been watching too much Star Trek lately.

As I set the gun right next to its duplicate, a knock resounded through the room. I froze. Do aliens who are attempting to take over the base knock politely? Probably not, so I figured it was safe to open the door. I swiftly crossed the room and yanked open the door, switching off the force field after spotting who it was. A relieved smile began to take over my face.

"Teal'c. You don't know how happy I am to see that you're okay."

"As I am relieved to see you unharmed as well." He paused, "Major Ferreti informed me that you have created a weapon against our enemy. Are these weapons operational?"

Teal'c was never one to beat around the bush. I gave a quick nod and held up the two guns, "Yep, I've got two guns that will shoot radiation in short bursts right here."

Teal'c took one of the guns and handed it to Ferreti and turned back to me, "We must hurry. Danielle Jackson and O'Neill have been taken by the invaders. We believe that they are on this level, but are unsure."

Taken? God, I hoped they were okay. These aliens were very unforgiving and had no sympathy whatsoever. Worry began to spread through me, but I stopped it at the source. Now was not the time. I had to focus. Taking a deep breath, I nodded my consent, and we quickly exited the room to find Eytan and Martouf standing guard outside.

"It is all clear."

Stealthily, we jogged down the corridor, shooting a few stray Dream Keepers along the way. Then Martouf stopped, making me run headfirst into his back. I touched his arm lightly.

"Martouf?"

"I can feel something." He looked almost disturbed.

A sharp intake of breath drew attention to Eytan, "I can feel it too."

"Indeed. I feel it as well."

Was I missing something?

"Are we missing something?" Ferreti leaned over to me discreetly. At least I wan't alone. Actually, it was probably the symbiotes that could sense… whatever it was. Drawing in a deep breath, I attempted to sense the presence they were talking about, but to no avail. Maybe it was just live symbiotes that could sense it. Huh.

Lantesh's deep voice resonance drew me out of my thoughts, "I have felt this before. They must be in here."

He walked off up the corridor, quickly making his way to one of the large isolation rooms. Opening the door, he walked inside hesitantly. I exchanged a glance with Ferreti, a little worried, but followed Lantesh all the same. Jogging up the hallway, I slowed by the door and poked my head inside. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things. I took a step to stand completely inside the room.

Ferreti summed up the sight nicely, "Holy crap."

The room, which was quite large, was full of jars. Almost every single surface was covered in them. They were stacked on top of each other up to the ceiling on every wall, and then stacked outward toward the center of the room. The only clear space was an extremely small path that wound its way through the room, ending at the metal table at the center. On the table was a creature. From the waist down, the creature looked like a very large centipede coiled around itself. Hundreds of thin, long legs were tapping on the metal table surface in a menacing dance, while the creature stared at us coldly. The bone structure of the head, chest, and arms almost could be compared to a chimpanzee, but the snout and mouth were twisted, with maybe a dozen pinchers extended out of it. As it lowered it's head slightly, I spotted a collage of brown an black scales flowing front the top of its head down its neck. I didn't dare move, so I spoke as cautiously and quietly as I could.

"Why does it not look human?"

Martouf answered me just as cautiously, "I am unsure, but it would appear that one of their invasion party does not give off the pheromone, and they always protect the offspring."

I nodded slowly and turned my full attention back to the Dream Keeper. It hadn't moved at all, just sat there and stared at us.

CRACK.

"What was that noise?"

I swallowed hard, "I think it was a jar."

Teal'c tilted his head to the side, "How did you come to this conclusion, Major Carter?"

"Because..." I hesitated, "Because something is crawling out of that jar."

The offspring was very tiny. And slimy. But, it seemed to be shedding something as it came fully out of the jar. And as it shed, it sort of glided over to the large alien, stumbling multiple times. Then it turned to face us. It began to make its way gracelessly over to us, but still very quickly. It stopped about two feet away from me and hissed. It just sat there and hissed at us. I leaned over toward Martouf.

"What's it doing?"

"I believe it needs us as incubators, but we are not in a dream state, so it's not sure what to do."

"Wow, you know a lot about these aliens. So, should we get rid of it?" Ferreti's grip was tightening on his gun, his knuckles turning white.

"Lantesh has encountered this race multiple times, and has heard much about them. And I do not think killing it would be a good idea. There are hundreds of jars in this room, perhaps even more. Kill this offspring, an army of them will take its place."

"So we couldn't take them? They aren't even hatched yet."

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

"I think you spoke too soon." I muttered as a chorus of hisses joined in with the first one.

"So, what should our course of action be?" Teal'c raised his weapon, "I do not believe we can take so many on." By that time, the numbers of offspring hatched was impossible to count. But none had made any move to attack. Yet.

"There will be no course of action."

The voice startled us all. I looked up at the alien on the table. It seemed odd that it was speaking English, but I guess if they can have suits that repel staff weapon blasts, they could have a universal translator type of thing.

Ferreti raised his eyebrows, "Why not?"

"These infants are in need of a home. You will be their home. Surrender, and I can guarantee that you will feel no pain."

"No thank you. Also, Teal'c and Ferreti, plan C."

Plan C was always the same. Usually plan A didn't work, so we moved on to plan B. Usually that didn't work either, so plan C was a constant. A tactical retreat, also known as running for our lives. It was simple, but it worked well. I snaked a hand over to grip Martouf's arm, ready to pull him along and Ferreti did the same to Eytan.

"What is this plan C?" The large alien spoke again.

"Oh, it's as simple as one," I prepared myself as Ferreti counted down, "two," my grip tightened on Martouf's arm, "three!"

I took off, dragging Martouf with me. Thank goodness, him and Eytan caught on soon and started sprinting as fast as they could. The increasing volume of hissing behind us told me that the offspring had followed and were gaining on us. I put on an extra burst of speed as I sharply turned a corner. Damn, my first impression is that they were slow and weak. I guess they just needed some time to gain a little strength.

"In here!"

A male voice yelled at us from ahead and I dove into the room as instructed, not thinking about any sort of trap it might have been. Teal'c, Martouf, Eytan, and Ferreti followed me into the lab, and the door was slammed behind us. The hissing of the offspring could be heard outside the door, but it was weakening. Hopefully the run tired them out or weakened them more. Breathing hard, I turned to look at our saviors. Staring at the group of people in shock, I raised my eyebrows.

"How the hell did you get here?"

* * *

NOTE:

I'm really sorry for the short chapter, but I have a case of writer's block. So, any suggestions would be great! And, I still need to know who you guys would like to be injured and how (I'm stuck on that too). And, as always, reviews, suggestions, and comments are welcome. Thanks!


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